HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL

As we head towards the middle of Term 3 with continuing restrictions, I am sure that we have all been drawn to watching the Olympics. These amazing athletes from all over the world have thrown into sharp focus the importance of physical fitness as well as mental fitness. In particular, these athletes have demonstrated perseverance in their sport and empathy towards each other. Fortuitously, over the past couple of weeks, the wellbeing program has focussed on developing skills around ‘how to bounce back’ and ‘empathy.’ 

No where were these two skills more evident than with Simone Biles, the US gymnast. Olympic viewers were shocked when despite being tipped to win a number of gold medals in Tokyo, halfway through her first event she left the arena and did not return, citing concerns around her mental health and wellbeing. She pulled out of subsequent events, continuing to cite the pressure she felt. However, in a phenomenal show of bouncing back, Simone took home bronze in the beam final. This amazing demonstration of perseverance demonstrated that even at the highest levels, people still feel external pressures to perform. The important lesson is how they deal with those pressures and ‘bounce back’ when they become overwhelmed. To paraphrase Simone, “mental health is more important than any medal.” For our students, developing the capacity to bounce back when faced with any kind of adversity is a skill that will greatly help their development and engagement in life.

The capacity to empathise was also on display in the response to Simon’s withdrawal from her events. Athletes from around the world came out in support of her decision. Many news articles speak of the positive outcomes that will come from her confidence in expressing her doubts around competing. In particular, her fellow teammates did not disparage her decision but supported her in putting herself first. Empathy is an important skill for our students to learn, and is a skill that takes explicit practice. We continually look to challenge our students to empathise with others through our wellbeing learning experiences and restorative justice practices as they never know when they will need someone else to show them a little empathy.

Christopher Ingold | Head of Secondary School